I was waiting for any news regarding Lincoln. There had been some whispers amongst the C.O's that it didn't go through.
I saw Michael and got up off the bleachers. He saw me and smiled.
"He's alive" He said.
"Really? That's great!" I exclaimed. I hugged him before I realised what I was doing. I quickly released him and stuttered awkwardly. I was swept back up into a hug before I could finish my apology.
When it was time for PI we were escorted outside into the yard where it had been snowing. I was wrapped up warm in a massive blue coat, which was the smallest size but was still really big on me.
"Man, I'm so cold my hands are stinging" Sucre said, rubbing his hands together.
"You know what they say about weather in the Midwest. If you don't like it, wait an hour" C-Note said.
"In an hour I might get frostbite" I said, trying to warm my hands up by blowing on them. My breath came out in smoke.
"We're still going out through the infirmary and we're still gonna do it from the guards' room. It's just the in-between that's gonna have to change" Michael said.
"Wait a minute, why are you changing the plan, man? We're already through to that room beneath the infirmary. That's all we gotta do is get through that pipe and we're home free" C-Note said.
"There's a reason they replace it with a 12-inch pipe, Darwin - people can't get through it. The only way we're getting into that infirmary is from beneath. We're gonna have to find another way" Michael looked at the psych ward.
"The psych ward?" Westmorland asked.
"It's the only building that shares a sub-surface line with the infirmary"
"Are you telling me to get to the infirmary we gotta go through the whack shack?" T-Bag said.
"Unless you got a better idea"
"And there's a sub-surface line that runs from the guards' room to the psych ward?" I asked.
"Sort of" Michael replied.
"Whoa, whoa, what do you mean 'sort of'?" C-Note asked.
"We can go into that hole in the guards' room. About 40 yards up Route 66, there's a grate that'll get us halfway there" Michael explained.
"And what about the rest of the way?" C-Note asked.
"We gotta do it above ground" Michael said.
"Wait, above ground? I thought we were doing this all underground where we couldn't be seen" I said.
"So it's just a bunch of cons taking a stroll in the middle of the night for all the guards to see?" C-Note said.
"Yep" Michael said.
"You're right. It is suicide" Sucre commented.
"This grate you're talking about - it's hidden, right, partner? The COs can't see it?" Westmorland asked.
"Not exactly" Michael said.
"Well, where is it?" C-Note asked.
"You're standing on it" Michael said. I looked down to see the grate near C-Note's feet.
"Oh hell no. When we come up out of that ground there, that tower there..." He pointed to one "...that tower there..." He pointed to one behind me "...and that tower behind us is going to see us. We'll be like ducks in a shooting range, you feel me?"
Two C.O's walked over and said.
"Hurry it up, con!"
"Your plan sucks, snowflake" C-Note said to Michael.
"I gotta go back into the walls tonight"Michael said.
"Why?" I asked.
"I gotta get over to psych ward, familiarize myself with the pipes beneath, make sure we can get through" Michael said.
"I don't know, Michael. C-Note's got a point. We come up in the middle of that yard, we're sitting ducks" Sucre said.
"I know"
"Hm. I might have an idea" Sucre said.
Michael paced around the break room holding a crowbar. I opened the door to let C-Note and Westmorland in. A postcard fell out of C-Note's pocket, reading 'Greetings from Iraq'.
"Hey, you dropped something. Does that say Iraq?" Westmorland said, picking it up.
"Thanks" C-Note said, snatched it back. I wondered why he had that postcard, but then I realised that it wasn't any of my business and I went back to pretending to work
After a couple of minutes T-Bag knocked on the door, to warn us a C.O was coming.
"Let's look busy" Michael said.
"What the hell?" C-Note said, he pulled something in the wall and the cement hidden in the wall began to pour through.
"Crap" I said.
"Damn, bro. What did you do?" Sucre asked.
"It's the cement we dug up" I said. "We have to hide this quickly" The door opened and I moved to stand next to C-Note covering the tear.
"My God, you cons are slower than a spelling bee full of stutterers. You all think you can slow-walk this job, play grab-ass in here? Drag it out for months? Get to work!" Bellick said.
We all looked at each other, and I glanced down to see more cement pouring out of the tear.
"You got it, boss" I said although not moving.
Bellick looked at me and C-Note
"How about it, eightball, ginger? Get to work" I shot a panicked look at Westmorland, as C-Note slowly walked away after I nudged him to go.
"Oh, boss, my leg it ...hurts. I'm just gonna rest it for a second"
"You disobeying me, convict?"
"Man said get to work!" Westmorland pushed me out of the way and put his own leg in the way of the tear
"Hey! What the hell is your problem?" I asked 'angrily'.
"My problem is young con punks who don't know how things work around here" Westmorland said.
"Construction's a sweet gig. You wanna clean toilets? Be my guest. Otherwise, grab a hammer" He continued.
"All right" I said, as I picked a tool up.
"Still got some piss and vinegar in those old veins, huh, Charles?" Bellick slapped him on the shoulder. "I like it" Bellick walked out, T-Bag followed and closed the door behind him.
"Close one, huh?" I said. We all chuckled, but when Westmorland moved his leg, the concrete broke free from the wall and poured out.
"Oh, man! What are we gonna do with this?" Westmorland asked.
I grabbed a shovel, as they moved the carpet away from the hole. We hurriedly shoved the concrete down the hole.
"Come on, guys..." Sucre said.
We continued shovelling, until all the concrete was in the hole. Westmorland and C-Note set to work at cleaning up the wall.
I was trying to sleep, but I was worried about Michael. He had told me of his plan to go to the whack shack.
I thought the whole thing was suicidal, but he didn't listen to me. A guard walked past shined his light in my face and moved on.
I heard a bit of movement in the cell next to me, and I sat up on my bed.
It was quiet for a couple of minutes and I was about to go back to sleep when I heard an agonising scream rip through the prison. All I could think was, what the hell happened?
"Open on 40" I heard, I got up to see that Michael was coming back.
Sucre had told me of his interrogation earlier, and everything that had happened last night. I felt a little bit ill when he said he ripped the shirt off, which had been melted into Michael skin.
"Riley" I heard Sucre whisper. I got up to stand by the cell door.
"What?" I asked.
"We have a problem"
AN: It's done! Yay :)